Wholesale electricity costs fall to lowest point in two years – CSO

Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Wholesale electricity prices have reached their lowest point in two years after falling by 64 per cent in the 12 months to July.

This comes after a further decline in prices recorded in June, down by a third compared to June 2022, according to figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Wholesale electricity prices, or what is paid for electricity from the Single Electricity Market grid, decreased by 17.9 per cent between June and July and were 64 per cent lower compared to July last year.

An increase or decrease in wholesale prices can be an indication of what consumers will be charged in the future.

Senior statistician in the CSO’s prices division Edel Flannery said: “Electricity costs on the wholesale market are now lower than any time during the past two years.

Wholesale electricity prices in July 2023 fell to their lowest level since June 2021https://t.co/fJOHJ5nT9C#CSOIreland #Ireland #Wholesaleprices #Prices #Business #BusinessStatistics #IrishBusiness pic.twitter.com/VWzcmZt8W3

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) August 22, 2023

“The last time that prices were lower than the current rate was in June 2021.”

According to the Wholesale Price Index, published by the Central Statistics Office on Tuesday, producer prices for food products fell by 8.1 per cent in the 12 months to July, while the food products, beverages and tobacco index was down by 7.1 per cent.

Domestic producer prices for manufactured goods were on average 0.2 per cent higher in July compared with a year earlier, while producer prices for exported goods fell by 5.4 per cent.

Among the most significant changes to producer prices in the 12 months to July were a 14.9 per cent increase in the fruit and vegetables sector, a 17 per cent decrease in dairy sector and a 15 per cent increase in beverages.

Construction products decreased by 0.4 per cent in the month but increased by 2.2 per cent in the year, while the Building and Construction (i.e. materials and wages) index decreased by 0.2 per cent in the month but was 2.4 per cent higher than the same month last year.